How To Pull A Sinking Ship From The Rocks [VIDEO]

The Cougar Ace lists at a precarious angle in Wide Bay, Alaska in 2006 Photo: Courtesy of US Coast Guard

Ever since the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground off Giglio, her gleaming white hull lying precariously sideways on the rocky seabed has sparked the question, can she can be saved? While it’s unlikely this vessel will ever be placed back in service by Carnival, we do expect it to be removed from the rocks.

Cougar Ace

There are a few excellent videos and articles online which provide an inside look at marine salvage, the job of saving large ships in distress, the first being the inside story of the car carrier Cougar Ace which experienced severe ballast problems in the waters off a remote section of Alaska. Expertly telling the story is gCaptain friend Joshua Davis who gives a brief overview of the task in the following video:

Salvage Code Red

We often receive calls from television and film producers asking our advice on ship related matters, but rarely are the requesters well informed. But when the call came from UK producers of Salvage Code Red, I was impressed on their level of knowledge and commitment to getting the story right.

The following video is of Titan’s salvage of the tanker Azores from a rocky coast.

MT Phoenix

And sometimes difficult salvage attempts go easy with the help of high tide and a bit of luck. Such was the case in August of last year when the tanker Phoenix was pulled from a popular South African beach:

Costa Concordia

It’s too early to determine the means by which the Italian cruise ship will be removed from the rocks, but stay tuned to our Costa Concordia page and Smit salvage’s updates page for the latest.

About John Konrad

Captain John Konrad is the founder and CEO of gCaptain and author of the book Fire On The Horizon. John is a USCG licensed Master of Unlimited Tonnage, has sailed a variety of ships from ports around the world and is a distinguished alumnus of SUNY Maritime College.